Damascus steel was a term used by several Western cultures from the medieval period onward to describe a type of steel created inIndia and used in sword making from about 300 BC to 1700 AD. These swords are characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades were reputed to be not only tough and resistant to shattering, but capable of being honed to a sharp and resilient edge.

In Russia, chronicles record the use of a material known as “Bulat” steel to make highly valued weapons, including swords, knives and axes. The exact origin or the manufacturing process of bulat is unknown, but it was likely imported to Russia via Persia and Turkestan, and it was the same as Damascus steel. Pavel Petrovich Anosov made several attempts to recreate the process in the mid-19th century.